Palmer's Pitches Aid Needy Kids

Cedar Rapids, IA Longtime Kitchen & Bath Design News columnist
Ralph Palmer has a sign in his office with a motto he tries to
follow closely.

"If you believe you can or you can't, you're right," the motto
reads.

Palmer, a well-known industry sales authority and expert horseshoe
pitcher, strongly believed that he could throw about 5,000
horseshoes virtually non-stop over a 24-hour period all the while
attracting a wave of local publicity while raising money for two
charities.

He was right.

The owner of the Cedar Rapids, IA-based Ar-Jay Building Products
actually pitched 4,844 horsehoes an amazing 2,400 of them, for
ringers over a 24-hour span last month, walking a cumulative 9.2
miles and throwing six tons of iron in the process.
He also raised, via pledges for each ringer he threw, some $16,000
for two area charities Camp Courageous of Iowa, which caters to
children with disabilities, and the St. Luke's Hospital Child
Protection Center, which aids physically and emotionally abused
children.

The 60-year-old Palmer, who is also a marathon runner and champion
softball player, took only a ten-minute break each hour during his
endurance effort, and suffered only minor cuts on his hand.

"I held up fine," said Palmer, who has been competing in horsehoe
tournaments for 15 years. "Actually, it was kind of a rush. I
wanted to average 100 ringers an hour. But, man, when I got there,
I didn't want to throw another one."

Palmer got the inspiration for his charitable effort when he
temporarily lost the sight in one eye early this year. "When
surgery corrected the problem, I decided to celebrate by doing
something for kids," he said. "The important thing is, this turned
out to be a success beyond my wildest expectations."